Gabriel R
Instruments: Flute, Piccolo, Music
Styles: Classical, Pop, Opera, New Age, Avant-garde
Gabriel R
Instruments: Flute, Piccolo, Music
Styles:
Classical, Pop, Opera, New Age, Avant-garde
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 5-80
I am a passionate teacher with more than 15 years of experience. I work as a professional flutist and composer and am comfortable teaching flutists at any level at my home studio in Bethesda. I have a Master of Music in flute performance from California State University, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Arts in music from Humboldt State University. I specialize in contemporary and avant-garde performance but am very comfortable teaching all types of Western Classical playing as well as pop and rock styles.
I've been teaching private music lessons for more than 15 years and have taught students from age 4 to 50. I've worked in my home studio, in students' homes, in a traditional classroom setting, in small classes, in large college lecture halls, and in online classrooms. I also have experience working with neurodiverse students. In short, I've done it all! I find pride and enjoyment out of watching students marvel at their own progress. The moment when a student begins to hear music out of their instrument is special.
I use a combination of methods tailored to a student's needs and goals. With very young students, I use play to focus on movement and musical thinking. With young students who are reading or starting to read, I usually use a combination of the Suzuki method and traditional French methods like Moyse, focusing on singing, memory, and tunefulness while allowing students to self-direct the learning of reading sheet music. With teen and adult beginners, I focus a bit more on literacy and rhythm while providing a combination of quickly learned progressive pieces and long-term projects. Intermediate and advanced students require a more customized approach as they come in with certain foundations and weak areas that will need addressing.
Making music should be fun! Part of that joy is being able to see your own progress. That's why I work with students' individual needs to set realistic goals for each lesson while keeping an eye on long-term goals. I create a warm environment for students to experiment and ask questions so they can better understand their instrument, musical ideas, and their own thought processes. I'm also conscientious to avoid getting too lost in the weeds of technique or theory that we forget to listen. I often send students home with CDs of music to listen to and encourage students to sing in an effort to keep our ears engaged and listening at all times.
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